Protagonist Treatment? A Fortuitous Opportunity?

"It's a first-grade pill, the Windwalk Pill!"

Jiang Yun did not recognize the pill, but there was no shortage of knowledgeable people around him, so he easily learned its effects and ingredients.

Windwalk Pill: increased a Dou Zhe's speed for the time it took an incense stick to burn!

It seemed Elder Liu intended to give every alchemist present a lesson, starting with the most basic pills!

For a fourth-grade alchemist like Elder Liu, refining a first-grade pill was naturally as easy as reaching out his hand. To better demonstrate his alchemy and help the alchemy students gain something from it, however, he deliberately slowed down. Even so, his movements still flowed as smoothly as drifting clouds and running water.

Although Elder Liu's grade was not high, his foundation in alchemy was exceptionally solid. As expected of an elder of Jia Nan Academy's Alchemy Department, his teaching had its own distinctive strengths.

They watched Elder Liu toss medicinal ingredients into the Medicine Cauldron one after another. As the flames rose, the ingredients were almost instantly burned down into a small mass of green liquid.

Next, Elder Liu took out a green first-rank magic core. An hour later, the hard magic crystal had been reduced by the heat to a mass of pale green liquid. Through a wondrous combination of medicinal properties, Elder Liu also washed away the violent energy contained within it.

Seeing the alchemy students around him watching in rapt fascination, Jiang Yun knew they were gaining insights. Most of the others present could only envy them. They were not alchemists; they knew what was happening, but not why. That was painful indeed.

It was like knowing a vast treasure trove lay right before your eyes, yet having no way to enter. How heartbreaking was that?

But Jiang Yun was not among them. With his outstanding soul power and unnatural comprehension, he had already firmly committed Elder Liu's hand movements to memory. All that remained was to find a set of ingredients after returning and test his conjectures.

"Condense!"

At that moment, Elder Liu's shout rang out, and a powerful surge of soul power erupted, pouring into the Medicine Cauldron.

In the corner, Jiang Yun's gaze sharpened as he suppressed the stirring of his own soul power. He had always wondered just how strong it was. Now, with Elder Liu as a comparison, he had a rough idea.

His isn't as strong as mine!

At least at this moment, he felt no pressure on his soul from Elder Liu.

While Jiang Yun silently made his comparison outside the arena, the masses of medicinal liquid of different colors inside the Medicine Cauldron slowly approached one another under Elder Liu's control at its center.

Although some resistance arose during the process, Elder Liu deftly resolved it. Eventually, the liquids merged, slowly condensing into an irregular green sphere.

At this point, Jiang Yun knew the pill had been successfully refined. All that remained was to let the flames finish nourishing it, and an excellent-quality Windwalk Pill would be complete.

As time passed, after refining the first-grade Windwalk Pill, Elder Liu went on to refine a second-grade Green Wood Pill, a third-grade Heart-Calming Pill, and fourth-grade Jade Bone Powder. The grades rose steadily as time passed, leaving everyone present practically drooling. That was a fourth-grade medicine!

After storing the Jade Bone Powder in a jade bottle, Elder Liu let out a long breath. The sky had already darkened. Even as a Dou Wang, he felt exhausted after a full day of refining medicine.

"All right, today's alchemy demonstration ends here. I hope you have all gained something and will take fewer wrong turns on your future paths as alchemists. May a few more Grand Alchemists emerge among you and bring honor to our Jia Nan Academy's Alchemy Department."

Elder Liu put away his Medicine Cauldron and swept his gaze over the alchemy students, his eyes filled with hope.

As an overlord-level force in the Black-Corner Region, Jia Nan Academy stood in a different camp from the region's outlaws. If there was one area where the academy fell short of the Black-Corner Region, it was this.

High-level alchemists!

Considering the alchemists of the Inner Academy and Outer Academy alone, Jia Nan Academy could claim to be the Black-Corner Region's foremost collective. Yet when it came to high-level Grand Alchemists, it had no strength worthy of showing off.

The foremost figure in Jia Nan Academy's Alchemy Department was Elder Huo of the Inner Academy, a Peak Fifth-Grade Alchemist. By contrast, the leading alchemist of the Black-Corner Region was Medicine Emperor Han Feng. Publicly, his alchemy stood at the peak sixth-grade level, but as Yao Chen's prized disciple, he had likely already reached the seventh grade.

Only the limitations of his cultivation prevented him from freely refining seventh-grade pills.

Low-grade pills were not so demanding in terms of cultivation or Dou Qi. Taking pills while refining more was often standard practice, allowing alchemists to refine above their own level.

Just like Xiao Yan refining fourth-grade pills as a Dou Shi.

But refining high-grade pills generally required soul power, Dou Qi cultivation, and alchemical skill. Not one could be missing.

Once a pill reached the seventh grade, the heavens would send down heavenly tribulation. Even a Dou Zong had to handle that carefully, let alone Han Feng, who was merely a Peak Dou Emperor.

One could say he was only a tiny step away from becoming a true seventh-grade alchemist.

This alone showed how wide the gulf was between Jia Nan Academy's alchemists and those of the Black-Corner Region.

The seventh and fifth grades were as far apart as heaven and earth. This had almost become a festering worry for Jia Nan Academy's Alchemy Department.

Now, Elder Liu looked earnestly at this group of alchemy students. They were the seeds of hope.

"Thank you for your instruction, Elder!"

Seeing the hopes Elder Liu held as their teacher, the students were moved and bowed respectfully to him.

Jiang Yun was no exception!

After returning to his dormitory, Jiang Yun sat cross-legged on his bed and recalled every detail of Elder Liu's demonstration. Only after making sure he had missed nothing did he begin his cultivation for the day.

The next day, Jiang Yun sensed no trace of Zi Yan in the room. Presumably, she was still running wild in that Magical Beast lair!

Jiang Yun left the dormitory and went to a place called the Library Pavilion.

The books filling the building left Jiang Yun momentarily dazed as he entered. It felt as though he had returned to his days in the Evil Spirit Clan, when he would visit the clan's Library Pavilion every day and quietly read.

Putting those thoughts aside, Jiang Yun looked at the students quietly reading around him and did not disturb them. He simply selected a few books, went to an inconspicuous corner, and read in silence.

The books bore the titles An Introductory Guide to Alchemy, Manual of Pill Identification, Compendium of Medicinal Ingredients and Properties, and Pill Flame Control.

They contained basic alchemical knowledge, but no pill formulas. Precious formulas were an alchemist's lifeblood and were not casually shared. Even commonplace formulas could only be viewed after formally joining the Alchemy Department.

Fortunately, Jiang Yun did not need those yet. For now, he needed to thoroughly digest the fundamentals of alchemy before considering anything else.

Snap!

Closing the Encyclopedia of Medicinal Ingredients in his hands, Jiang Yun let out a long breath. This was already his seventh day immersed in the Library Pavilion. Over these days, he had finished every book related to alchemy he could find there. Thanks to his outstanding soul power, he had leaped from a complete novice to a "master of theory."

Everything was ready now. All that remained was practice!

"Interested in alchemy, little fellow?"

Just as Jiang Yun rose to leave, a mild voice came from behind him.

Instantly alert, Jiang Yun turned to look. An old man with snow-white hair and beard was watching him with a smile. Although the smile was faint, the gap between his lips still revealed to Jiang Yun that he was missing some teeth.

All of this spoke of his advanced age!

Clearly, this was a "big shot" hidden away in the Scripture Pavilion.

"Elder!"

"Who on this continent isn't interested in alchemy?"

Having judged him to be a hidden old expert, Jiang Yun bowed and answered with a question, his face full of longing.

"Heh heh!"

"Indeed. Who in this world isn't interested in alchemy?" The old man chuckled, a trace of longing appearing on his aged face. Looking at Jiang Yun's youthful features, his expression filled with reminiscence, as though he had remembered his own younger self.

Had he not been just the same back then?

He had been full of longing for alchemy, dreaming of becoming a lofty, revered alchemist someday. Unfortunately, reality often dealt you a crushing blow to the head, telling you, "Child, don't dream so much. You don't have that destiny, understand?"

A momentary haze passed through the old man's eyes before he asked Jiang Yun, "You're one of this year's new students, aren't you?"

"Yes!" Although Jiang Yun did not know what medicine the old man was selling in his gourd, he still answered. He and Zi Yan had been specially recruited by Su Qian, so they counted as this year's new students.

During Zi Yan's six months of secluded cultivation, he had already reported to their class, Yellow Tier Class Three. Their instructor was a male four-star Da Dou Shi named Wu En. When they first met, Wu En had not been surprised. Clearly, Hu Gan had already given him instructions.

Thus, Jiang Yun was now a new student with an official identity!

"In all my life, I've never seen anyone your age with cultivation like yours." After receiving Jiang Yun's confirmation, the old man nodded in satisfaction, pleased that the academy had recruited such a genius.

Then he picked up Introduction to Alchemy from the pile beside Jiang Yun and casually flipped through it. "I can see that your fire attribute is exceptionally strong, but it lacks that sliver of vitality. Clearly, you possess no wood attribute. Alchemy is wonderful, but you must understand that it cannot be forced!"

Hearing the warning beneath the old man's words, Jiang Yun finally understood why he had approached him. After seeing him absorbed in alchemy for days and realizing he lacked the potential to become an alchemist, the old man could not bear to watch a genius neglect his cultivation and had come to advise him.

The old man's intentions were good, but Jiang Yun could not tell him the truth. He replied earnestly, "I only wanted to read more. If I came across a treasure someday without recognizing it, that would truly be a terrible pity!"

"It's good that you think that way!" The old man nodded approvingly. Whatever the circumstances, teachers always liked diligent, inquisitive students. Then he continued, "There's something rather good in the third row of the third column in the Dou Technique Area. You can go take a look."

With that, the old man gathered the pile of books beside Jiang Yun and walked away with steady steps.

Jiang Yun stared after him in bewilderment. Had he just stumbled upon a hidden opportunity? Was this protagonist treatment? Could even he, Jiang Yun, catch a hidden expert's eye and be gifted an opportunity?

Curious, Jiang Yun slowly made his way toward the Dou Technique Area the old man had mentioned. As an important component of the Dou Qi Continent's power, Dou Techniques occupied a considerable portion of the Library Pavilion.

Entering an area filled with indistinct figures, he looked up to see countless bookshelves standing in rows. Large characters at the front of each shelf indicated its attribute.

The shelves were filled with Dou Techniques of every attribute: fire, wood, wind, and even quite a few of the rare darkness attribute, which Jiang Yun also spotted.

Jia Nan Academy truly lived up to its origins as an academy founded by someone from the Lei Clan. Usually, it showed neither mountain nor water, yet its underlying reserves could rival the Four Pavilions of the Central Plains.

Jiang Yun headed toward the shelf the old man had indicated, passing one Dou Technique after another.

Yellow Tier Intermediate Grade cultivation method, Fire Cloud Art.

Yellow Tier High Grade Dou Technique, Mountain-Crushing Fist.

Yellow Tier High Grade Dou Technique, Crushing Stone Palm.

Most of the Dou Techniques and cultivation methods here were Yellow Tier. Jiang Yun did not see a single Profound Tier one. Even Jia Nan Academy would not generously make Profound Tier techniques and cultivation methods available to every student.

Yet even Yellow Tier Dou Techniques and cultivation methods were rare treasures in the eyes of these new students, most of whom were only Dou Zhe or still at the Dou Power stage.

After some time, Jiang Yun finally reached the spot the old man had mentioned and took out a fiery red scroll.

On the back of the scroll were the words: Yellow Tier High Grade Dou Technique: Blazing Fire Palm.

Jiang Yun could not help feeling disappointed. He had not expected it to be a Yellow Tier Dou Technique. For him, only Profound Tier techniques were suitable for routine combat, while Earth Tier techniques were trump cards kept at the bottom of the chest.

Yellow Tier techniques were simply not worth learning.

Still, he slowly unfurled the scroll.

"Blazing Fire Palm: Yellow Tier High Grade Dou Technique. Suitable for both close combat and ranged attacks. At full mastery, it can rival a Profound Tier Low Grade Dou Technique. If the practitioner's Dou Qi is pure and they possess a special flame, its power can rival a Profound Tier Intermediate Grade Dou Technique."

Reading the description, Jiang Yun understood why the old man had recommended this technique. The fire attribute within him was exceptionally strong. If he practiced it, he might indeed unleash power comparable to a Profound Tier Intermediate Grade technique. In that sense, it truly was a small opportunity.

But...

He possessed the Saint Heavenly Demon Flame, which enhanced all fire-attribute Dou Techniques. That made this technique something of a chicken rib-too little meat to enjoy, yet a pity to discard.

After memorizing its cultivation method, Jiang Yun returned the Dou Technique to its original place to await the next person destined to find it.

When Jiang Yun returned to the dormitory, he saw Zi Yan, dressed in purple, sitting boldly astride a chair in the living room, her legs swinging ceaselessly.

She was slumped over the table, her eyes vacant as she idly fiddled with several fragrant fruits.

At the sound of the door opening, Zi Yan seemed to come "alive," looking at Jiang Yun in delighted surprise.

"Little Yun, you're finally back!" Her sweet cry rang out as she stared at him with shining eyes.

Jiang Yun involuntarily shivered, then heard Zi Yan's voice again.

"Hurry and help me make some pills. I'm starving to death!"